Saturday, May 31, 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014

I am sitting in the car with the Bomber as we have got to the dentist an hour early. Oh, how he laughed.After he has had his teeth sorted out we are driving down to Wales for tonight's Probables v Possibles game.I have taken the day of work. What larks!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Stevie Wonder pays Clapham a month tomorrow, so it is time to start my revision. Original Musiquarium I from 1981 was pretty much my constant companion when it came out in the early 80s, but it is (largely) a compilation and the only album I have. I think I need to work through the mother lode of the classic 70s albums, so I bought Innervisions on iTunes last night; picking it because it was remastered.

I also found the documentary above on YouTube. My God, I will be a Stevland-Hardaway-Judkins bore by the end of June. Did you know he's five years younger than Debbie Harry of Blondie f'r example?

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

It is, of course, absurd that in the second decade of the 21st century, the Prince of Wales should again be testing the boundaries of his personal freedom to make political interventions (Prince proves he is a chip off the old block, 22 May). More depressing, however, is the supine reaction of Britain's party leaders. The roles of the monarch and heir to the throne are largely defined by precedent and constitutional conventions, so an action that is not challenged can ultimately form the basis of a putative right. By failing to express concern over Charles's recklessly indiscreet comments about Vladimir Putin, in which he compared the Russian president to Adolf Hitler, the UK's leading elected representatives have offered him implicit constitutional licence to make similar outbursts in the future. These can only serve to undermine the monarchy's value as an instrument of British diplomacy. Nick Clegg's claim that Charles should be "free to express himself" was presumably a clever ruse to hasten the advent of a republic. Otherwise, it was just rather silly.Professor Philip MurphyDirector, Institute of Commonwealth Studies

Saturday, May 24, 2014

The cheapest HDMI cable currently on sale in John Lewis is £9.95, plus £3 postage and packaging. For £9.99, Sky will sell you an HDMI cable that comes with a free Now TV box that connects your TV to the BBC iPlayer, Five’s catch up services, Facebook, Spotify, other apps and offers access to Sky Movies and Sky Sports on a short-term subscription basis.

To put it another way, there’s almost no reason on Earth not to buy a Now TV box, especially if you need an HDMI cable, or might in the future.

The first time I tried Sky Now was when I shelled out £9.99 on a day pass to watch the Heineken Cup semi final between Saracens and Toulon in April last year (Icons passim).

The same sides are going to meet in the final this year and kick off at the Millenium Stadium at five this afternoon. I noticed in Currys yesterday that I can get a Sky Now box that includes a one day sports pass for £14.99. That gives me the hardware for a fiver so I think that will be the way forward for today as Sky have the rights to the game.

I wonder if I will stay with sky for Bale in the all Madrid European championship final later in the evening, or go back to ITV?

Just as politics was slipping into a coma of torpor an electrifying jolt jerks it into new life.

It could not have happened without the Wright reforms. They continue to deliver. Rory Stewart was unelectable by the whips as a Select Committee Chairman. He is not biddable, has a unique hinterland of extraordinary achievements and possesses a working brain-all traits that disqualify him from promotion by the neurotically controlling whips.

The Defence Select Committee, under Rory, will metamorphose from passive collaborating cheerleaders for the war party into a critical voice of objective reason. That's if the other establishment committee members allow him to lead. The rough democracy that the Wright reforms imposed of the election of chairs produced a range of eight Tory hopefuls with a wide spectrum of opinions.

Coincidentally, I am 81% of the way through reading Stewart's The Places In Between. (My kindle tells me 81%. This is not the kind of figure I keep in my head.) The book is about his solo walk across north-central Afghanistan in 2002, at the American invasion and occupation after the events set in motion by 9/11.

Monday, May 19, 2014

The Bomber showed me this picture over the weekend. It is him just about to go over for the try that did for Buckingham in the Burnham-on-Sea festival semi final. That was his fifth (not too shabby from full back) making him our top scorer on tour.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

It is the most famous red carpet in the world, with Hollywood stars preparing for hours to have their glamorous pictures beamed across the world.

So spare a thought for actress America Ferrera, who was left looking shaken after being targeted by a prankster who launched himself towards her and put his head up her skirt.

Ferrera, the Ugly Betty actress who stars in How to Train Your a Dragon 2, had been posing for photographs with colleagues Cate Blanchett and Kit Harrington when the stranger dived onto the red carpet and lifted up her dress.

The interloper, later identified as notorious Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk, attempted to put his head inside her voluminous white dress in front of the world’s press.

He was removed by security as Ferrera looked on in confusion. Her co-star Blanchett, the double Oscar winner, glared at Sediuk as he was taken away, as Game of Thrones actor Harrington took Ferrera’s arm to reassure her.

After taking a moment to compose themselves, the cast continued with the premiere of How to Train Your Dragon 2 without further mishap.

Ferrera, who rose to fame in as the lead role in the successful US television series Ugly Betty, appeared to shrug the incident off by the time the after party came around, and was seen relaxed and laughing with guests.

It is not the first time Sediuk has targeted a red carpet event.

In 2012, he attempted to repeatedly kiss Will Smith on the lips at the premier of Men in Black 3, earning himself a gentle slap in the face.

He has also been photographed awkwardly hugging actors Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio, crouching to waist height to leave them uncomfortable.

Friday, May 16, 2014

A (possibly unknowing) disciple of Dr. Strabismus' newest work includes a series of grenades that "detonate" a melody from an enclosed music box when the pin is pulled and the spoon is released.

Each grenade is wound and set, and can only ever be "played" once—much like how a grenade can only explode once. "Music expands outwards from its source in compressive waves, just like detonated ordnance" he explains. "Both possess the power to affect people at great distance." But rather than releasing a surge of distortion or feedback (i.e. explosive music), his crafted bronze objects play "America The Beautiful" and "Beautiful Dreamer" by Katharine Lee Bates and Stephen Foster, respectively.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

The Bomber was playing Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag last night. I had heard of it because I read about Matt Ryan (Icons passim) voicing Edward Kenway, the lead character.

This meant that I could confidently assert that Kenway was Welsh. An announcement that was treated with derision and raised eyebrows until the avatar on the screen himself confirmed it himself, announcing that he had named his ship, the Jackdaw, after a bird he remembered from his childhood in Swansea.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Many musicians have criticised Spotify for offering inadequate compensation to artists, yet one ingenious Los Angeles-based band are claiming to have raised $20,000 (£11,800) through the streaming service without recording a note.

Funk act Vulfpeck posted their latest album, Sleepify, on Spotify in March, and invited their fans to stream it through the night while they slept. The gimmick? Sleepify is completely silent.

The band’s drummer and keyboard player, 26-year-old Jack Stratton, explained the strategy in a YouTube video, explaining that the royalties from the scheme would fund a tour of totally free gigs, with a route taking in all the cities and towns where Sleepify was played most.

Mr Stratton and his bandmates Theo Katzman, Woody Goss and Joe Dart have released three previous albums as Vulfpeck. Sleepify consists of 10 tracks with titles including “Z”, “Zzz” and “Zzzzzz”. Spotify’s average rate for royalties is $0.007 per track streamed, and a song must be played for at least 30 seconds to register.

All the tracks on Sleepify clock in at 31 or 32 seconds; an eight-hour night of continuous streams could thus generate more than $5 in royalties.

Shortly after the LP’s release, the band tweeted: “Please don’t ‘shuffle’ Sleepify. I know this might come off snobbish, but we spent a lot of time on track order”.

It's Dr Strabismus' world, we just live in it; part the umpteenth. Would it have been better tuned to 432Hz though?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

A new range of "biometric smartwear" constantly monitors your heart rate to give you feedback on your exercise routine, and can even warn you when it spots the danger signs that could lead to health problems such as stress or heart attack.

I remember reading in Richard Ingrams' Beachcomber anthology that J.B. Morton "invented the electric toothbrush, as a joke, only to see it become a fact of life."

What would Dr Stabismus have made of "biometric smartwear," or indeed the invaluable MIDI Sprout?

Monday, May 12, 2014

Fridays this fall on NBC. If you were casting a series about an exorcist who struggles with his faith and is haunted by his past sins, but unexpectedly finds himself as the one to defend humanity from the forces of darkness all the while saying "bollocks," you'd cast a Swansea actor and get him to use his native accent wouldn't you? Of course you would.

If Matt Ryan (Swansea, 1981) can hang in for twenty two episodes of this we'll have a new Welsh Born Icon.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Buckingham were looking to win the Burnham on Sea Festival for the third time in a row until they went down to tries from Silas and the Bomber in the semi final. Here's their report on the game. It is pretty fair apart from the fact we didn't have any forwards at all on the bench by this stage and backs were being pressed into service in the set pieces,

Game 5, Semi-Final: Old RutlishiansFrom Merton Park, south west London, Old Rutlishians must be feeding their kids something potent. A huge team for U13 level, looked daunting to some of the Bullets players and looked to have plenty of replacements to draw upon in contrast to Bullets.Right from the start Bullets had their backs against the wall with significant and sustained pressure from a well organised and capable Old Ruts team. Bullets defended their try line like Trojans, with 9 scrums in the first half taking their tole on the forwards who dominated the scrum despite a considerable size disadvantage. This was an outstanding defensive display with two tries not given and Bullets surviving the onslaught to half time without conceding. Old Ruts continued to look dangerous and replaced some of their forwards with fresh legs for the second half, not a luxury available to Bullets. Bullets continued to defend magnificently but it seemed only a matter of time before this Ruts team would break away. The strongest team Bullets have faced, probably this season, found it hard to penetrate the Bullets defensive line but they succeeded twice in five minutes to secure a hard fought 12-nil victory at full time. Bullets were tired and battered after this hard fought and sportsman like game of rugby, acknowledged by the referee and by Old Ruts as the best of the tournament so far......just a shame it had to be Bullets last ever at Burnham- on-Sea, home of two previous tournament victories.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

The Swansea showdown will give Gatland the opportunity to cast his eye over contenders for the tour of South Africa, ahead of naming his final 31-man party.

It will see two squads go head-to-head in an old school trial with the chance to impress the national squad management and book their places for the three-match trip.

Tickets to see the two sides battle it out for the right to wear the famous Wales jersey are priced at £5 for adults and £1 for under 16s and will go on sale from Tuesday May 13.

The Bomber and I have decided to go back to Wales for this game as he is off school on that Friday for half term. We had also been thinking of going to Cardiff for the Heineken Cup Final but that is about £75 a head rather than £5 or £1 for concessions.

Thursday, May 08, 2014

A unique one-off television production of Dylan Thomas's famous 'play for voices' performed by a community of Welsh talent in New York, Los Angeles, London, Cardiff and Laugharne. Michael Sheen opens as First Voice, Sir Tom Jones as Captain Cat and as each of Dylan's iconic characters joins in, the piece builds up into a collage of famous voices and faces (including Matthew Rhys, Ioan Gruffudd, Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce, Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins) intercut with evocative imagery inspired by the play and created as part of a live event by National Theatre Wales.

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

It is with the most enormous sadness that we have to announce that Old Ruts and Rutlish School Under 16 Kyle died in hospital yesterday following a rugby training session.

Kyle came to rugby late but in his own quiet way worked really hard to establish himself as first choice prop this season for the U16’s at Club and School and he will be sorely missed both on and off the field by his fellow players and coaches.

The whole Old Ruts family will want to send their condolences to Carol, Ricky, Albert and all the family and friends of Kyle at this very difficult time.

The Club will of course mark Kyle’s passing in an appropriate way and will let everyone know about that.

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

I had been looking forward to writing this report all day. Our most successful and brilliant tour ever – the whole weekend was better than I could imagine, both as a parent and as a coach. I am immensely proud of you all.

However, very sadly, there has been terrible news concerning an U16, Rutlish and Old Ruts boy, at training earlier today. This is not the moment for celebration, there will be news from the Club in due course.

All best,
Jim

From what I can gather one of the U16s died training for sevens at the club. What a terrible, terrible thing, and how his family, friends and everyone who was there must be suffering.

For now, I won't write his name, speculate about the circumstances:

Nor blaspheme down the stations of the breathWith any furtherElegy of innocence and youth.

Monday, May 05, 2014

We are back from the Burnham on Sea rugby festival. The U13 boys were runners up in the cup. It is a bit of a disappointment as we were beaten by Newcastle Emlyn, a side we drew with in the very first game. Without making excuses, the fact that we were short of forwards in the touring squad told by the last game as attrition took its inevitable toll. Jonnie was moved from outside centre to lock, and Big Bill came off after a punch up to be replaced by a boy half as tall and half as wide (which makes him a quarter of the size).

On the plus side, there was some thrilling rugby played along the way. The Bomber scored a wonder try where, running towards his own line on the left, he collected a bouncing ball, took it behind our own posts, then ran all the way up the right wing, turned and scored under the opposition's uprights.

In the evening James heard one of the coaches talking about it. "I've seen people taking a lap of honour after scoring," he said. "But never taking a lap of honour before scoring."

Also there is talk of extending the tournament to U14s next year, so it may not be our last hurrah,